Bicycle Paper.com :: Articles :: An Evening with Phil Liggett

An Evening with Phil Liggett

By Sara Covich

If you’ve watched a major cycling race on television in the past 10 years, chances are you have heard “The Voice of Cycling.” Commentating on the action in his smooth British accent and saying such things like “The peloton is riding like scalded cats!” as the racers attack a brutal climb resounds the unmistakable voice of Phil Liggett. On May 23, 2011, he made an appearance in Seattle to entertain a sold-out crowd in Intiman Theatre.

Hosted by Cascade Bicycle Club and introduced by MC Erik Moen, Liggett took the stage to an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom had enjoyed a private VIP reception prior to the main event where Liggett chatted and signed copies of his new book Dancing on the Pedals: The Found Poetry of Phil Liggett, The Voice of Cycling.

Liggett’s cycling background is impressive: he became the youngest-ever International Cycling Union (UCI) race commissaire in 1973, had a brief professional cycling career in the United Kingdom, was awarded by Her Majesty the Queen an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for his service to cycling and was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame in 2009. However, it was his foray into journalism and race commentary in the 1970s where he made his longest-lasting impression.

Photo by Bicycle Paper

The author poses with Phil Liggett.

It was immediately apparent that Liggett is comfortable not only on a stage, but in front of crowds and with a microphone in hand. An entertaining and engaging speaker, he told stories of his days as a young pro in Britain, including a tale of how Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx is actually a very shy man, despite his total dominance in the 1970s.

Speaking of life with fellow television commentators Bob Roll and Paul Sherwen (the latter of whom he has been calling races with for 27 years), Liggett displayed fond memories of their time together. He told a particularly amusing story of his time with Roll at the now-defunct Tour de Georgia stage race, when Roll pushed the limits of a rental car (and the patience of a Georgia state patrolman) when he repeatedly drove upwards of 105 miles per hour, as Liggett sat in the passenger seat fearing for his life.

After telling free-form stories including his days officiatinging the tours of Zambia and Egypt for about thirty minutes, Erik Moen of Corpore Sano Physical Therapy interviewed him from the stage, before fielding questions from the audience. Asked first about how cycling races in the United States compare to those on the European circuit, Liggett brought up the Tour of California stage race, where he had spent time commentating before his visit to Seattle. He put it on the same level as large international events such as the Santos Tour Down Under, the Dauphine Libéré, and the Tour of Switzerland, and was hopeful that large-volume racing would one day soon find its place in the U.S.

This year marks Liggett’s 39th year as a commentator for the Tour de France and, although he acknowledges the Tour’s place as “an annual sporting icon,” he is quick to characterize the Tour’s organization as a marketing company whose job is to sell the race. “One hundred and fifty nations get the Tour feed [by television],” he said. “It’s a product. Last year, their profit was $15 million.”

It was inevitable that someone would be curious and ask what his take was on the episode of “60 Minutes” in which former U.S. Postal team rider Tyler Hamilton admitted to EPO use and accused Lance Armstrong of doing the same. He said he had not seen it, but did allow that it was “all innuendo and tumor until they prove the facts.” He did not have a comment on the subsequent rumors swirling around Armstrong, deferring to “I don’t know [about it].” Liggett voiced his staunch anti-doping stance by ending the discussion with, “[Doping is] bad for our sport and we don’t need it!”

Later asked if he thought drug use should be allowed and regulated instead of banned outright, he voiced his concern not for current, older pros, but for amateurs and younger cyclists just turning the pedals for the first time: “Kids coming into the sport should never have to think they have to take drugs to win.” This statement elicited a rousing cheer from the crowd.

On the oft-debated issue of the use of radios in professional races, Liggett opined they should be used for “health and safety only, with one channel, and no tactics.” It would make the race less predictable and allow more breaks to make it to the finish. “Let the peloton think for themselves.” He also said the issue would be like so many others in sports: it would not be resolved anytime soon, especially with two conflicting sides — riders and teams on one side and race organizers on the other.

When asked if he had any favorites or picks to win the Tour de France this year, he mentioned Bend, Ore., rider Chris Horner, who was fresh off his victory in the Tour of California. He mentioned it was “not impossible” for Horner to find himself on the podium in the general classification, and anyone who watched him shred the field on the climb to Mount Baldy would be inclined to agree. [Ed. Note: Horner abandoned the Tour due to a broken nose and a concussion after stage 7]

Phil Liggett is truly “The Voice of Cycling” and it was an honor to hear him speak humorously and with such candor about the beautiful sport of cycling we all love. One can only hope that he has a memoir in the works. No doubt it will be filled with more great stories and anecdotes, and of course, plenty of Liggett-isms.

Sara Covich is a former Bicycle Paper intern and avid cyclist who is looking forward to her first season as an amateur cyclocross racer.